Dates Announced for 2014 Tampa Bay Hospice Cup Regatta

Local Sailors, Businesses Support Local End-of-Life Charities and Have Fun

PRLog - Jan. 21, 2014 - TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Hospice Cup Foundation, Inc. of Tampa, Florida, has announced that the 2014 edition of its popular Tampa Bay Hospice Cup Regatta (TBHC) will be held at Davis Island Yacht Club (DIYC) held on Saturday, April 26, 2014. A pre-regatta benefit dinner and silent auction gala is scheduled at DIYC on Saturday, April 12.

The TBHC includes the long-running “Morgan Invasion,” an event focused on boats designed and built by Charley Morgan, Tampa Bay’s own famous yacht designer and builder. The “Morgan Invasion” has been associated with Suncoast Hospice since 2010.

In 2013, over 60 boats and 300 sailors participated in the inaugural event, which raised over $30,000 for the two local hospice groups. The sailing features racing for traditional mono-hull/PHRF-rated sailboats, multi-hulls (catamarans and tri-marans) and a “just for fun” race where crews make up their own race course and sailing style – one boat last year sailed its course BACKWARDS! “Land Cruisers” are welcome, of course, to join the festivities by non-watercraft vessels (AKA motor scooters, bicycles, skateboards, Segways, Razor scooters, cars, trucks, trains and planes.)

The Tampa Bay Hospice Cup regatta (TBHC) is a major fund-raising event that benefits both LifePath Hospice in Hillsborough County and Suncoast Hospice in Pinellas County. It is hosted by the Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa.

The serious racers will participate in the PHRF (Performance Handicap Racing Fleet) portion of the regatta. Typically, these boats will race off of the south shore of Davis Island, Tampa, following either a windward/leeward or triangle course. In last year’s regatta, there were three PHRF classes with 11 boats, plus 20 boats in the various “Morgan Invasion” classes (Morgan-designed/built). 26 boats raced in the “Just-for-Fun” class.

According to the Regatta Chairman, Kevin Fouche, “The Just-for-Fun fleet is intended to be a STRESS FREE event. Here are some planned aspects of this fun format:

START FROM DOCK - The start for the Just-for-Fun fleet will be directly from the dock. You don't need to worry about memorizing flag sequences or setting your stopwatch.LATE MORNING START - You can come eat breakfast, watch the serious racers leave the harbor from the comfort of the clubhouse, and then depart from the dock after the basin clears out.NO TIMED COMPONENT - The awards will be independent of the amount of time it takes you to go around the course, so the speed of your vessel will have no bearing on the trophies you may win.EARLY AFTERNOON CRUISE - We'll plan an "informal" course that should take approximately 3-4 hours.NO RATING REQUIRED - There's no need for a PHRF certificate.ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE - Remember, you're sailing for Hospice!”

Awards may include, among other things, prizes for:

Cook's Trophy - Best food served on your cruiseSailing Promoter Award - For the vessel with the most first-time sailorsTraveling Boat Award - For the vessel that traveled the furthestTraveling Crew Award - For the vessel with the crew member that traveled the furthestBest Dressed Crew - Hmmm, this could mean a lot of thingsContributor Award - For the vessel that raised the most funds”

The Land-Cruiser fleet is will be represented by Morgan enthusiasts, Hospice supporters, and DIYC members that want to help support the event but either don't own a boat or are traveling by air/car/semi-truck and are not able to bring their boat.

“The trophies for the Just-for-Fun and the Land-Cruiser fleets will be awarded based on criteria at the sole, and ever changing, discretion of the organizers. Excessive sponsorship contributions, or lack thereof, may influence a boat’s chances of taking home a trophy,” said Fouche.

Awards may include, among other things, prizes for:

Furthest Traveled - Most distance traveled to appear at the eventContributor Award - For the land-cruiser crew that raised the most funds

In addition to the pre-regatta Benefit Dinner & Silent Auction Gala, the social side of the regatta will include a Friday night chat and drinks with Charley Morgan after the Skippers’ Meeting. There will be a post-racing party, too. All TBHC events take place at or in the vicinity of Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Florida.

The event, which typically draws approximately 60 boat entries and 300 participants, is a major fundraising event, benefiting both the primary Tampa Bay-area hospice organizations. The regatta is held in the Spring sailing season each year. In 2013, the regatta organizers donated a total of $30,000 to both local hospice organizations – $15,000 each.

The TBHC Regatta is the extension of a long-running Tampa Bay sailing event known as “The Morgan Invasion.” The Morgan Invasion is a sailing regatta and rendezvous focused on boats designed or built by Charley Morgan, the famous Tampa Bay yacht designer and boat builder. Since 1985, the Morgan Invasion has been one of the most popular sailing events in the Tampa Bay region. In 2013, the Morgan Invasion was merged with the newly-organized Tampa Bay Hospice Cup, with the endorsement of Charley Morgan.

The 2014 Tampa Bay Hospice Cup will be held on April 26, 2014. It will be preceded by a hospice benefit fund-raising dinner and silent auction to be held on April 12, 2014 at Davis Island Yacht Club.